CONCERNED residents have launched an action group and campaign website highlighting the issues they claim they are facing from a new housing development at Grappenhall Heys.
They claim the Astor Grange development is “an accident waiting to happen” and their concerns and complaints have been “falling on deaf ears”.
The development was rubber-stamped to go ahead in March 2020, prior to this several objections had been raised regarding accessing the development.
They say fears are now becoming a reality due to increasing activity at the development.
Residents believe their emails to Warrington Borough Council and developer Rowland Homes are being side-lined, so the group has now created a banner campaign to deliver their message to the community and potential home buyers.
Resident Marilyn Troughton said, “We want to send a clear message to potential home buyers about the dangers they may encounter, selling these homes on phase 1b, the next development does not give a true vision of what this development is or what its impact will be on the existing community”.
“Construction commenced in September 2020, soon after residents living closest to the site were told that there was an issue gaining access to the site.
“Warrington Borough Council and the developer Rowland Homes, pointed out that a bend in the road and on-street parking was now a potential problem and obstacle”.
Marilyn added, “The bend and parking have been there for over seventeen years with no objections or disputes. In essence, this is a single lane access and residents believe that both should have been part of the planning application, yet this was the first time we had heard them mentioned, a little too late after the site was passed and works begun.
“The development’s access is woefully inadequate, residents have discussed mitigation measures engaging with both Councillor Ryan Bate and MP Andy Carter’s office.
“Both have been out on site, viewing for themselves how this development impacts on the day to day living of the existing community and what it will leave when completed.
“They have been helping to raise awareness during this build supporting residents with the complaints raised.
“The activities are making resident’s lives a misery with dust, noise, road debris and cleaning, etc.
The sites CEMP is in place in order to diffuse the impact on existing residents and their properties, Warrington Borough Council, Rowland Homes and other appropriate authorities have been the recipients of these complaints. Seemingly very little has been responded to with any due regard despite our attempts to create some meaningful dialogue it all seems to ‘fall on deaf ears.’
Residents believe the development should only have fifty properties.
Their campaign website can be visited at https://www.astorgrange.co.uk/
Warrington South MP Andy Carter said: “Having met with local residents, many of their concerns can be dealt with by some simple steps to improve access to the new development and making changes to the road layout.
“I’ve written to the Council setting out what they should look at, it’s frustrating they’re not willing to work with people who live locally to address their very understandable concerns from the outset.”
A Warrington Borough Council spokesperson said: “The current development being constructed by Rowland Homes and served from Astor Drive received planning permission in March 2020 under application 2019/36202; which sought reserved matters approval for details regarding layout, scale, appearance and landscaping following the original outline planning approval secured in January 2018.
“When the reserved matters application was submitted the developer chose to pursue a single point access via Astor Drive. This was considered as part of the detailed assessment of the application and was accepted. A number of issues are taken into account when assessing appropriate access; these include: junction capacity, emergency service access, potential for public transport provision, pedestrian cycle linkage, future maintenance considerations and potential access issues in the event of unforeseen works (such as a sewer collapse), as well as wider planning considerations. It was considered that Astor Drive, given its layout, nature and overall adopted highway width was capable of serving the additional 58 dwellings direct.
“The widened footway on the opposite side to the existing houses along Astor Drive serves as a footway/cycleway connecting the existing dwellings to the wider area. This connectivity is enhanced by the Rowland Homes site as the footway/cycleway continues into that development with connection points to the existing footway/cycleway link between Witherwin Avenue and Broad Lane.
“Astor Drive itself is subject to a 20mph speed limit and its design is in line with good practice to create natural traffic calming; relying on constrained forward visibility, road geometry and occasional on-street parking to ensure moderate vehicle speeds.
“Many of the access issues currently being experienced along Astor Drive are typical of the construction phase of a development when a much higher proportion of heavy and larger vehicles require access to the site. The concerns raised by the residents will be discussed with the developer to ensure any disruption or inconvenience is minimised.”
